oxygen

[ˈɒksɪdʒən]

/[ˈɒksɪdʒən]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“oxygen” is uncommon German (frequency #68,545 among 14,908 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,545
frequency rank, German
14,908
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sauerstoff

Key facts for oxygen
PropertyValue
Headwordoxygen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɒksɪdʒən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#68,545
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “oxygen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). oxygen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oxygen is uncommon German at frequency #68,545 among 14,908 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈɒksɪdʒən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for oxygen, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is oxygen, spelled O-X-Y-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sauerstoff
  2. 2
    molekularer Sauerstoff (O₂)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "oxygen"?
"oxygen" is spelled O-X-Y-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɒksɪdʒən].
What does "oxygen" mean?
As a noun, "oxygen" means: Sauerstoff
How do you pronounce "oxygen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oxygen" is [ˈɒksɪdʒən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "oxygen" come from?
"oxygen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “oxygen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is O-X-Y-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɒksɪdʒən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list